BEIJING — Only minutes into his presidency, Barack Obama already had been censored by the Chinese. References to communism and to dissent in his inaugural address were deleted from Chinese-language translations in state media.
And during a television report, state-run CCTV cut away from the English-language video of Obama’s speech.
The sentence that seemed to most irritate the Chinese was when Obama said, “Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with sturdy alliances and enduring convictions.”
Chinese versions of the speech either deleted the sentence entirely or simply excised the words “and communism.” The time difference pushed the inaugural address past 1 a.m. Wednesday in China, so few viewers were watching live.
Since the election, a Chinese translation of Obama’s book “The Audacity of Hope” has soared to the best-seller list. But China’s leadership has shown concern that the new president will be far tougher on trade and human-rights issues than former President George W. Bush. Barbara Demick, Los Angeles Times
